The Other Side of What If
by PQ's Nathan
Summary: When Percy rethinks his decision to leave Calypso, his choice may have unforeseen consequences. Can Percy set things right and defeat the Titans, or is Olympus doomed to fall? Percalypso.
1. A Door Man Is In My Bedroom

A/N: Yes, this is a resubmit of a story already on here. The original story is on Aish Sheva's account, and she has, for all intensive purposes, disappeared. I will be continuing this story by myself after chapter 4. Also I will be making a few corrections (spelling and such) to earlier chapters here and there.

A/N (Nathan): This is a Percalypso fanfic. It is a collaboration between me (PQ's Nathan) and Aish Sheva/Sheva Das. I would like to thank Athena's Hatchling and percabeth777 for betaing it, antd additional thanks to percabeth777 for inspiring the idea in her Percalypso fanfic, Regret and The Return of Calypso. You can always find the latest version of this fanfic here on FanFiction dot net. Please observe the 4 Rs: Read, Reflect, Rate, and Review. And may the Force be with you…oh wait, wrong fandom. May you have the blessing of the gods. There we go!

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

**A Doorman Is In My Bedroom**

I looked over at my clock. The digital display read 11:50 pm. I only had ten minutes left of freedom. Ten minutes until I had to decide the fate of the world. I didn't know what the choice I had to make was, but it couldn't be good. I closed my eyes, and then opened them again.

Then I blinked hard, unable to believe what I saw. I even pinched myself. There, standing at the foot of my bed, was a familiar face...or rather, I should say two familiar faces. The two faced man who had introduced himself as Janus inside the Labyrinth last year stood there in his bellhop uniform. Behind him, two doors had appeared in the woodwork.

I wondered what he was doing here; Dionysus had said he joined the Titans. A sudden fear gripped me, chilling me to the bone. Was he going to kill me?

"Wh-What do you want?" I tried to sound brave, but my voice quivered.

"Don't worry, Perseus," said the right face, "We won't hurt you."

"That much," amended the left face.

"What do you want?" I repeated, fear quickly turning to annoyance. If he was here to kill me, I didn't want to have to wait to find out any longer.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" the left face asked, "I heard you were slow, but I didn't expect you to be _this _slow. We're the god of choices, which means..."

"You're here to offer me a choice?" I asked.

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner."

"Stop being so rude," the right face said. "We want to offer you a way out. Out of the prophecy, to be exact."

"What do you get from this?"

"Listen, boy. We're not here by choice. You made a decision, and now we're granting you the opportunity to redo it. You don't want it, then go through the right door. However, if want to reverse your decision to leave Calypso, take the left. Now hurry up, we don't have all day."

_Reversing my decision to leave Calypso? _I stared at Janus, unbelieving.

As much as that left head annoyed me, he had said the magic words. Calypso, my biggest "what-if". The idea of seeing Calypso again hit me like a storm. It was something I had obsessed about at camp. I couldn't get her caramel-colored hair that smelled like cinnamon out of my head, her warm smile, her expression when I had told her I was leaving... The days and nights in her garden were some of the best of my life, despite the fact that I had been worrying over the fates of Tyson, Grover, and Annabeth.

Annabeth. She was the one thing stalling me. I didn't know why, but I had started thinking about Annabeth a lot lately. When I asked Paul about it, he muttered something about hormones and said he'd have to ask Mom if she felt it was time for the "The Birds and the Bees" talk. I didn't have the heart to tell him I knew all about it from school.

"Choose," hissed the heads in unison.

I meant to go for the door on the right. I really did. But my feet didn't listen. They went straight to the door on the left. I opened it and stepped into the light. Into the past. Onto Ogygia.

Behind me, the clock read 12:01 AM.

* * *

Remember: reviews are the only payment a fanfiction author gets. :-)

~Aish Sheva & PQ's Nathan


	2. Chicken Soup Flies

**A/N (Nathan):** The first two paragraphs are written by Rick Riordan in The Battle of the Labyrinth. I do not own them in any way, and use them here under Fair Use. Please keep in mind this chapter was written pre-The Last Olympian, so some things might not, and probably won't, coincide with the events that are described in the series. I am writing this because the book will have come out by the time this chapter is finished and beta read, so view this as a AU fanfic, where the event that transpired are these instead of what RR wrote in the 5th a word about comments. If you want to flame this story, go right ahead, I'm not going to stop you, and neither is Sheva. However, if you want to complain about Sheva's actions towards you, a friend, or another story, PM her. The review box is for comments on this story, not a place to complain about how unfairly you think Sheva is treating you or anyone else.

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

**Chicken Soup Flies**

"I told myself I would not even speak of this. I would let you go without even offering. But I can't. I suppose the Fates knew that too. You could stay with me, Percy. I'm afraid that is the only way you could help me."

I stared at the horizon. The first red streaks of dawn were lightening the sky. I could stay here forever, disappear from the earth. I could live with Calypso, invisible servants tending to my every need. We could grow flowers in the garden and talk to songbirds and walk on the beach under perfect blue skies. No war. No prophecy. No more taking sides.

"I'll do it. I'll stay."

"Really? You'd do that for me?" She looked up, like she could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"Really. The Fates can't control me." Her eyes sparkled like a blue ocean. I saw her smile. Then I fainted.

In the darkness, memories rushed by, creating a miniature slide show. Telling Calypso I had to leave. Meeting up with Rachel Elizabeth Dare again. Navigating the Labyrinth, fighting for my life in an arena. Finding Pan, and then watching him fade. Coming face to face with Kronos in Luke's body. Grover invoking Panic, Dad giving me a sand dollar. Blowing up the Princess Andromeda, and fighting off the Titans for a year. As the final sequence in the series of flashbacks, I saw Janus appearing in my bedroom. His leering face drew nearer and nearer. When it was so close I could have reached out a finger and touched it, my eyes suddenly snapped open. There was Calypso, her face where Janus' had been moments before.

Instead of the hard ground that I had fallen onto when I fainted, I was lying on a soft cushioned bed. Calypso was sitting next to me. The worried look on her face changed to one of relief when I turned my head toward her, still dazed.

"Well, the sleeper finally awakens." Calypso smiled gently, repeating the first words she had ever said to me.

"What happened?" I asked groggily, my head still swimming from my blackout.

"I'm not sure. You reassured me that you were going to stay, and then you collapsed. You've been out since then."

"How long?" I queried, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"A week, I think. You know that time passes oddly here. Not that it matters, you are immortal now. You are stuck at fourteen forever. Although-" she paused, a look of worry crossing her face. "I think that you've infuriated the Fates..."

"They deserve to be angry, torturing you like this. Listen, I need to tell you about something."

"It can wait," Calypso said. "Right now you need to rest. You may not age now, but you can still die from disease. You seem to have a fever. Here, have some soup."

A bowl of chicken noodle soup came in, apparently floating in mid-air. I supposed it was actually one of her invisible servants carrying it. No matter how long I would stay here, that was something I'd never get used to. I took the soup from the servant and tasted it. The chicken was juicy, the noodles weren't too dry, but not slimy, either. It had the perfect amount of fresh vegetables. To top it all off, the soup was just the right temperature-not too hot, not too cold.

"I'll never get tired of your cooking," I said with a grin.

Calypso grinned back at me, "Those vegetables were the ones you helped me plant before you fainted. Hephaestus brought me the chicken. One drawback of living on this island is that all the meat needs to be imported. I can't take care of livestock."

"Well, it's really good. Your cooking is way better than I remembered."

"Better than you remembered? What are you talking about? It's the only thing you've been eating for the past few weeks."

"Actually that's what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, originally I refused your offer to stay on the island..." With that I told Calypso the events leading up to Janus appearing in my bedroom. Calypso listened intently. By the time I finished, her face had hardened into a mask of stone.

"So you're just using me to escape the prophecy."

"No! That's not it! I mean, it's part of it, but also it's because I...I...love you!" I choked the words out, fighting back a blush. I would have stared at the ground, but I was in a reclining position. The only place I could look was up into Calypso's face.

"So...you didn't stay for the immortality?"

"No. Don't get me wrong, the immortality is nice, but I stayed because of you. The first time I left, it was because I didn't know what happened to my friends. I needed to make sure they were okay. But now I know they're fine. Annabeth made it safely back to camp. Grover and Tyson are both okay. I'm little worried for Nico, but he can handle himself. I actually feel sorry for the guy who has to take him on. Right now I'm here with you, and that's all that matters."

Calypso's expression slowly changed as she digested my words. Then suddenly she said, "It's getting late, and you need your sleep. Good night Percy. I hope you are still here in the morning. I'd hate for this all to be a dream."

"If anyone is dreaming, it's me." I said. Calypso laughed, kissed me on the forehead, and left the room. Then darkness overtook me once more.

The scene I saw in my dream was not unfamiliar. Monsters and demigods were pouring out of the entrance to the Labyrinth in to Camp Half-Blood. The campers were mounting a counter assault. It was just how I remembered it. Except something was amiss. Then I noticed that Juniper's tree was on fire! Juniper was trying to bat it out, just like before, but Grover was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't find Tyson either. Where were they? Grover had saved us. If it wasn't for him, our camp would... it would lie in ruins! Without Grover's help, and mine, for that matter, Juniper's tree was turning a deep shade of black. Soon there would be nothing left of it. Juniper was on the ground writhing in pain. As her tree died, so did Juniper.

Kampê appeared and fear overpowered the campers. Chaos came over the campers as they scattered in fear. The only sound that could be heard over the snarls were demigods' screams. Only a few did not run; Annabeth and a majority of the Ares cabin firmly stood their ground. They shot arrows and threw their spears at the monster, but whenever one would get close, Kampê would just dodge it. Every arrow and spear missed its mark, and fell harmlessly on the ground several feet behind her.

Kampê just laughed. Then, with no warning whatsoever, she sprang forward and bit Annabeth. I heard Annabeth's piercing cry as the pointed teeth entered Annabeth'ssoft flesh. Her knees buckled as she fell to the muddy ground. I could almost see Kampê's poison spreading through her body, sucking her life like a leach sucks blood. The Ares cabin just stared with shock, dumbfounded at the sight unfolding in front of them.

"Retreat!" a voice I recognized it as belonging to Clarisse called out. The Ares cabin ran away, some dropping weapons as they ran. This was a testament to how bad the battle was going. The only way a child of Ares would drop their weapon was if there would be no chance to fight another day if they didn't. Some people have best friends, but the children of Ares had best weapons; a faithful companion that would never leave them. To leave weapons behind was the ultimate sacrifice for them.

Kampê dropped Annabeth, who had gone as limp as a rag doll, and then continued on to destroy the camp, the rest of the monsters following her lead. Annabeth's body lay in the smoldering ruins. Tears dripped down my face and I sank to my knees. It was ridiculously unfair. Just because I had stayed on Calypso's island, Annabeth had been killed. I thought I had saved the world for several years, until Nico turned 16! Why were my friends all dead or missing?

My thoughts turned even more morbid. It was only fitting that Annabeth drew her last breath just as the Big House was destroyed. However that last breath was used to say something, something I never would have expected. "Percy..."

"Noooo!" I cried as I bolted upright in my bed. I furiously swiped at my eyes as I assured myself it was just a dream. But deep down I knew it wasn't just a dream. When were my dreams ever "just a dream"?

Calypso, hearing the noise, came in the room. "What's wrong, my brave one?"

* * *

Reviews are love. Thanks for reading!

~Aish Sheva and PQ's Nathan


	3. I Go Emo

**A/N (Nathan):** In this chapter the backstory for Ogygia is told. I'm just warning everyone that I made this up. Ogygia was only mentioned in Homer's epic, The Odyssey, and very little information about its history was presented. So don't confuse what I've written here with actual mythology. However, there are elements in it of a version of the Greek creation myth. The version I used is from "The Birth of the Gods" in Parallel Myths by J. F. Bierlein.

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

**I Go Emo**

"Annabeth, Juniper, everyone dead. This was a mistake. I should never have come here!" I managed to say. Despite my best efforts to not cry, my eyes were starting to water up. I had never felt so alone, so empty, so... helpless.

"What are you saying?" Calypso asked, horrified.

"The camp. It was destroyed. I had forgotten that Grover wouldn't be there. Annabeth and I saved him in the Labyrinth after I had left Ogygia. And then we met Pan who gave him the power Panic. That's what saved the camp from the Titans. I guess in this reality that never happened. So Annabeth fell, along with most of the campers. Camp has been destroyed. The Titans have won."

"Please calm down, my brave one. It was just a nightmare. I'm sure your camp is fine."

"You don't understand! My dreams are real; they've always been real! Janus must have tricked me somehow. I wish I had never been put here in the first place-this island has led me to nothing but trouble!" I ran out the door, tears streaming down my cheeks. I knew how badly I had just hurt Calypso, but I was far past caring. It felt like my heart had been sliced into a million pieces and then put through a blender.

My feet pounded on the rough ground. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I just needed to be somewhere else. Somewhere secluded and private. I found such a place, surrounded by trees and hedges, and I collapsed on the soft grass, letting my feelings take over.

* * *

It felt like I was alone for an eternity. I slowly calmed down, but still felt a strange emptiness inside. Camp Half-Blood was my second home, and the campers were like my family. Losing my home and most of my family wasn't something one would generally get over in a day. When Calypso finally showed up, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. But that didn't mean anything, as it was like that most of the day here.

"I brought you something to eat, brave one." Calypso was holding a plate full of blue chocolate chip cookies.

"Thanks."

She put them down and sat on the grass next to me. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm always here for you, you know."

"I'm sorry I said those things to you. It's just... Annabeth... she..."

"She meant a lot to you, didn't she?" I nodded as I took a bite out of a cookie.

"Before I came here, in the other...reality, I guess you could call it, Annabeth and I were...well, it's complicated. But every quest I had been on, she was there with me. Actually, I take that back. She wasn't there on the rescue mission when I was thirteen, but that's because the mission was to rescue her. She was always there for me, and I was always there for her. And now she's gone." I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts. "Please don't get me wrong, Calypso. You're wonderful and I love you, but I think I loved Annabeth too."

I brushed away my tears, and my face turned from a look of desperation to a mask of determination. "I _will_ avenge her. I will hunt Kampê to the ends of the earth if I have to."

A look of sadness crossed Calypso's face. "You forget where you are. Ogygia is my prison cell. You have decided to stay here with me, so now it is yours too."

"But the gods will surely let me off the island. They'll lose to the Titans if they don't!"

"That decision isn't up to the gods, Percy. It is time I told you the story of Ogygia.

"Before the gods or anything else existed, there was nothing but Chaos, a combination of the four elements. From Chaos emerged the first all powerful deity, Gaia." Calypso said the name with what was almost awe. "Gaia then created the Uranus and then the the Earth. And when she did this, she created Ogygia-a place that existed anywhere, but at the same time, nowhere. It was meant to be a paradise, a place to relax and get away from the stresses of everyday life. Then Gaia, with Uranus, deity of the sky, created the Titans. Uranus was jealous of Gaia's affection for her new children, and tried to destroy them. One of their Titans, Kronos, usurped Uranus. Gaia, torn between the love for her husband and the love for her children, retreated deep underground, and fell into a deep sleep. Kronos became master of the Titans. I think you know the story from there...

"When the Olympians beat the Titans, I was put here and forced to swear that I would stay. Any promise made on this island is a promise sworn in the name of Gaia. I'm sure you know about promises made on the River Styx. You half-bloods put a lot of stock by them, because if you break them, you die. But a promise made to Gaia is the most powerful of promises. You won't die if you break it, because you can't break it. It is just impossible. Because of that, only certain promises can be made to her. You can't promise things that depend on outside action or are impossible, like promising you will fly or be unbeatable in battle. However, you promised to stay here and so you will. There is nothing you can do to stop it. The only way out is if Gaia herself frees you of your promise. But the Earth Goddess has slumbered for thousands of years deep underground. I don't see her waking any time soon.

"So you see, my brave one, while the Fates allowed you to come to Ogygia and gave you the choice to leave, they can never offer you that choice again. I am truly sorry, but unless Kampê comes here, which is unlikely, Annabeth's death will have to be avenged by someone else." With that, Calypso walked back to her house, leaving me with some blue cookies and a lot to think about.

* * *

The problem with dreams is they tend to fade away after you wake up. The problem with Ogygia is that because it's so much like a dream itself, you tend to forget them faster than you would anywhere else. By nightfall, I had forgotten most of the dream. I could still remember Annabeth dying, the Ares cabin retreating, and the camp being destroyed. But the only specific details I could remember were the blood curling screams of the campers and Annabeth's final word. Those two things would follow me for the rest of my life, haunting me every waking moment.

We had spaghetti with marinara sauce for dinner that night. It was amazing what could be cooked with just vegetables.

"So, are you done paying respects to your friends?"

"I'll never be done. They are dead because of me. I killed them."

"Percy, get a hold of yourself. You didn't kill them. When you made the decision to stay here, you did not think it would change history this much. The only way you could have killed them is if you knew the moment you decided to stay here that they would die. You didn't, Percy, and don't you dare say you did. You have too kind a heart to kill."

"That's the problem-I don't. I've killed hundreds of monsters, and I want to kill Luke."

"You can't really kill a monster. You can only banish it for a while. And as for Luke, I'm sure you think you want to kill him, but if it ever came down to it I don't think you would. Maybe that's the true reason you wanted out of the prophecy. Maybe it was to save yourself from your sense of justice and vengeance. But any way you look at it, they are dead."

I stared down at the table. "Yeah, but-"

"But you, Percy, are still alive. I'm sure they wouldn't want you to sit around all day doing nothing. And if you don't do it for them, would you at least do it for me?" Calypso looked at me with her chocolate brown eyes, her mouth turned slightly downwards. How could I ever say no to her?

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything. The people who just died, I cared for them. I hope you understand that I need to mourn their death."

"Trying is all I could ask."

* * *

Despite my promise to Calypso, the next day I was more withdrawn then usual. We spent the morning planting various herbs in her garden. She told me the names of several of them, but five minutes later they had slipped out of my mind. We ate lunch under a giant willow tree. Calypso had made tuna fish sandwiches, actually cutting up a whole tuna Hermes had brought over. Most of it she dried for later.

"You know, back home you would go into a building and buy tuna and other foods in a can," I said, leaning against the rough bark on the trunk of the tree.

"What is 'a can'?"

"It's metal they put around food and then make airtight, so the food in it lasts longer."

"So you're saying you can get food without gardening, hunting, or fishing these days?"

"Correct."

"The outside world is stranger than I thought it was. Next you'll be telling me they can make diamonds!"

"Actually..."

* * *

After lunch I practiced with Riptide. _I really could use a shield,_I thought with regret. I would have to be sure to ask Hermes to grab me one next time he was here, though I didn't know how often he stopped by. Probably not very, and even less when the gods were at war. I wasn't sure why I couldn't let my sword skills go. There was no danger on Ogygia, and Calypso had convinced me there was no way off the island. But I felt the need to practice now, more than ever. Perhaps it was because it was the only part of my old life I still had left. It was the one part the Titans couldn't take away.

However there was only so much I could do on an island by myself. For a good workout, I needed a sparring partner, and I doubted Calypso had any skill. Now don't get me wrong, I have no doubt a girl could be a good sparring partner. Clarisse had been the best at camp, partly because she wouldn't hold back. But Calypso just didn't seem like the warrior type. She was much too elegant and graceful for that. I wondered what she did to support the Titans in the first war. I couldn't think of anything, and I didn't want to bring it up. Whenever we got on the subject of the Olympians and the Titans, things got a bit touchy. Family loyalties were one rift I was afraid would always divide us. _But, _I asked myself, _does it really matter? The war couldn't possible affect us here on Ogygia, could it?_

Slightly sweating, I headed back to the house.

* * *

Gardening in the morning, lunch beneath the willow, and sword practice in the evening-my life on Calypso's island fell into a regular routine. I lost all track of time, although I knew had been months since I had that horrible dream.

"Percy, come join me." The sun was just setting and Calypso was settled on the grass on top of a cliff, looking out at the ocean. His hair fluttered slightly in the breeze, making her look more stunning than ever.

"Wow, it's so beautiful tonight!" Red, orange, purple, and pink highlighted the sky. "Thank the gods we get to witness such an amazing sight."

"Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Give credit for everything good to the gods. It's not like they planned the sunset. It just so happens that everything was right to let us see this."

"I don't see what you have against the gods. Zeus didn't eat his own children, unlike Kronos."

"Zeus probably would have done the same thing if he had had a prophecy like the one Kronos had been given. He almost killed you because of your prophecy, didn't he?"

"But he didn't, because Dad stopped him. The Olympians love their children."

"Percy, why are we arguing about this? It's obvious you support the Olympians. I can't support them. They are my jailers, after all. But does it really matter? Only Gaia rules on this island. She's the only god that matters here, and I support her. After all, she's the one that makes my garden possible. She gives life to life itself. Let's just put this argument behind us and enjoy this sunset."

She was right, at least about the whole Olympian/Titan thing. I wasn't too sure about Gaia. From what she told me, Gaia seemed nice enough. But I'm sure even Kronos could seem nice if you had only heard certain versions of certain Myths. I let out a small sigh, and we enjoyed the rest of the sunset in silence.

As the sun dipped beyond the horizon I looked at Calypso and she looked at me. I rested my hand on top of hers, and there, sitting on the cliff over the sea, we shared our first kiss. Ages ago Annabeth had kissed me, under Mount St. Helens. It felt even longer then it really was because for me there was a whole other year between then and now that had never actually happened. But I didn't consider that my first kiss, because I never kissed her back.

This kiss with Calypso was the real thing, though. They say the first kiss tastes like strawberries. In reality, it tastes much better. Ambrosia, the drink of the gods, didn't even come close to the taste. I never wanted it to end, but it did eventually. Still holding hands, we started back for the house. I thought nothing could ruin this day. It was too bad I was wrong.

We entered the kitchen, and I pulled out Riptide. Sitting in the very chair Hermes had once sat in, was someone who definitely wasn't one of my top five favorite people.

"I would have thought you'd have better taste in boys, my daughter," Atlas said, smirking.

* * *

~Aish Sheva and PQ's Nathan


	4. Hunting Defeats Titans

A/N: Over 3.5k words, that's a new personal record. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's the most critical chapter so far, and might be the most critical chapter ever.

Update (1/14/2011): Fixed the mistake of calling Atlas Apollo in places. Thank you ZoeNightshade2214.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Hunting Defeats Titans**

"Father!" Calypso's voice rang out in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"What? Can't I check to see how my daughter is doing?"

"But... didn't the Olympians imprison you?"

"They didn't really imprison me; so much as keep me busy. Percy here paid me a visit a few years ago. He is the reason I was able to successfully escape, in fact."

"What do you mean?" I sputtered.

Atlas threw his feet up on the table and leaned back in his chair. "I suppose it's a story I should tell from the beginning. You see it all started after you freed me. I wanted revenge on that Artemis. She's the one that turned my daughter Zoë against me, after all. And then, to top it all off, she tricked me in to taking the Earth back! Anyways, Kronos, being the benevolent ruler he is, agreed with me. But he had a better plan then I did. Why not kill two birds with one stone? After all, I should also have revenge on the boy who thwarted my plans, shouldn't I? So instead of going after Artemis directly, we decided to go after her new lead huntress, that punk friend of yours...Thalia."

* * *

"Fall back!" Thalia cried. This was bad. The Hunters had been camping in the woods when the attack started. The pack of hellhounds lead by the legendary Laelaps were closing in on them. According to legend, Laelaps had never failed to catch its prey. "There's always a first time for everything," Thalia thought optimistically. Not far behind the mutts stood a small part or Kronos' army, lead by Kronos himself.

Thalia wasn't sure what they wanted, but they came at a bad time. Artemis was away investigating rumors that Camp Half-Blood had been destroyed. If this rumor was true, things were looking very bad for the Olympians. The camp held the biggest army that could be used against the Titans. And now the Titans were after them!

Thalia checked over her shoulder. Laelaps was right on their heels. She tripped over a root of a tree and did a face dive into the dirt. One of the hunters slowed down to help her.

"No! Save yourself. Tell Artemis what happened." The young girl nodded and kept running. The snarling dogs encircled her. But they didn't attack. "So, I'm the one they wanted. Good, the others are safe now. But why don't they attack me?"

Soon the triumphant face of Luke stood over her. "No," she reminded herself, "not Luke, Kronos." It pained her to see this. The body of Luke taken over by a seriously bad dude. "I've got you now, Thalia. I never knew my granddaughter could be so troublesome. I really wish I could kill you, but my brother needs you alive. How bothersome. General, take her!" he ordered. Then everything went black.

* * *

Thalia woke up with a headache. It was dark, and she couldn't see a thing. Finally her eyes adjusted and she saw Kronos sitting in the corner of what appeared to be a small concrete room. "So, you're finally awake, huh? Now that we are out of the woods, I suppose I should tell you what I have planned. But I don't like to spoil things. Let's just say your father is going to find himself with a very heavy burden on his shoulders soon." Kronos laughed.

"I cut off all ties to Zeus! What do you need me for, you freak?" Thalia spat at him.

"You may have renounced your father by joining the hunters, but he has not renounced you. He would do anything for his little girl."

"You obviously don't know anything about my father. He never cared much for me in the first place."

"You think he goes around turning every demigod into tree?" Kronos laughed, "Kids are so ignorant and disrespectful towards their parents. Part of the reason I ate mine. But did that kill them? No! They still didn't respect me when they were in my digestive tract! My son is too soft on you, so it's up to your grandfather to teach you some manners." Kronos had a sadistic smile on.

"But I thought you needed me alive," Thalia faltered.

"Oh, I do. Besides, how would I teach you manners if you died on me? There are many ways of causing pain that don't kill though. How else do you think I keep my immortal servants loyal to me? I can tell you they don't stick around for the dental plan. Now enough chit-chat. Time to get down to business."

* * *

The slightly chunky guard at the Empire State Building was surprised when S.W.A.T. stormed the building. He was even more surprised when one of them pulled him away from his donuts and threw him against the wall and started patting him down.

"Mr. Harris, you are under arrest for supporting the terrorist group branded the Titans. You have the right to remain silent...," one of the S.W.A.T. members started to read the guard his rights. No one noticed the S.W.A.T. member who patted the guard down handing a key to a young blond man.

The young blond man got into the elevator and put the key in the key hole that would take him to the 600th floor. He looked up at the speaker that was spouting out muzak. When the elevator arrived at the 600th floor, the speaker was no longer in working condition.

"KRONOS! How dare you come here!" Zeus bellowed to the man getting out of the elevator.

"Peace, my son," Kronos said, "If I don't return, you're daughter becomes dog food. My hellhounds are quite hungry."

"You had better not have hurt her. If you touch a single hair on her head, what I did to you when I was a child will seem like a vacation in Hawaii!"

"Don't worry, I didn't hurt her hair. The rest of her body I can't vouch for, though. I might be persuaded to let up on her torture, though. It all depends on what you have in return. No ideas? Then let me suggest one. One of your uncles is under a heavy burden. I need to borrow him for a while, though. So if you were willing to cover for him..."

"You are not seriously suggesting I take the sky off Atlas are you?"

"Well, only if you care what happens to your daughter. She told me you wouldn't care, but I thought she just didn't understand how you express your love for your children. Guess she's smarter then I gave her credit for. I won't waste any more of your time here, the General was telling me of some new torture techniques that where invented while I was gone. I'm interested in trying this 'water boarding' for myself."

"WAIT! I'll do it, just let her go!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Once I let her go, what's to prevent your Olympian friends from forcing poor Atlas to take the sky back? I will, however, give her some place nicer than a dark, damp cell, feed her more often, stop the torture, that sort of thing. Make her bleak captivity more enjoyable. I can't guarantee the Ritz, but I think I can at least manage Hotel 6."

"Fine, but if I find you went back on your word, I'll blow you to oblivion. I hear that a nuclear missile could destroy Achilles, and the body of Luke Castellan is nowhere near as strong."

"Don't worry. I may have eaten my children, but I'm a Titan of my word. Besides, what use would torturing her be once I have you? She's already told me everything I can get out of her about those pathetic girls who call themselves Hunters."

* * *

"And so, here I am," Atlas finished telling his tale.

"YOU BASTARD!" I yelled, running at him with my sword. He snapped his fingers, and I went flying backwards, crashing into one of the invisible servants in the process.

"It's a good thing you aren't the chosen one after all, kid. There is now way you can stand up to a Titan, you'd get killed if you ever tried. 'One to decide the fate of Mount Olympus,' what a joke."

"Father, stop insulting my boyfriend. And Percy, please don't try to kill him here. I don't care whether the Titans win or lose, but blood is impossible to get out of the carpet!"

"You don't care who wins?" Atlas laughed at her comment, "you might want to change your attitude. Which brings me to the reason of my visit."

"What is that, Pops?" I ask sarcastically.

"Don't take that tone with me, Percy. I'm offering you and Calypso a way off this rotten island. It's already been long enough that Nico is older than you, so we don't have to worry about you losing your immortality. At least not until we get rid of that Hades brat. And we plan to have Mount Olympus overthrown by then anyways."

"What's the catch? I've learned there's always a catch with you Titans," I said carefully.

"Ah, yes. There is one of those. Actually there are two. The first is that you, Percy, either join the Titans-"

"Fat chance," I interrupt.

"Let me finish. Either you join us, or you stay out of the fight entirely. Of course, I can just kill you right after you get off the island, if you wish, but Lord Kronos has decided to be merciful to you and let you live."

"How nice of him," I said through gritted teeth, "and the other condition?"

"Don't miss a thing, do you Percy. The other condition is you, my daughter, join us. No fighting or anything, we couldn't get you to do any of that during the last war, but just supporting our troops. Cooking, entertaining them by singing, that sort of thing. You might even find a man you like better than this Percy jerk, so I can kill him and be done with it."

"No one is joining you, you di-" I didn't even get to finish my sentence before Calypso interrupted me.

"Percy, this is for me to decide. I'll consider it."

I gave her a look like she was betraying me.

"Percy, you have to understand. This is a prison, I want off, and that's something the Olympians haven't done yet. But tell me, father, how are you planning on getting me off this island? Not even Kronos is powerful enough as to break an oath to Gaia. If Kronos asked Gaia, she might void the agreement, although I doubt it. The problem is she's asleep. Last I heard, Kronos doesn't have a God of Awakening on his side, and even if he did, I doubt his power would work on Gaia."

"Good point. But there is one way we have found to void the contract. As you said, Gaia is sleeping. That means she is defenseless. Kronos has created a weapon that can destroy her. Sure that will kill all plants and crops, but who really cares? The wine vineyards will be a loss, but humans have enough wine to last us thousands of years. I'm sure we can come up with an alternative before then. And we Titans are immortal. We like to eat, but it's not a requirement for our survival. So what do you say?"

"So let me get this straight, you want me to help you in destroying Gaia, killing all plant life, and then have me cook for and entertain your troops?"

"Yep, that's the plan."

"Percy, you can kill him now. Maybe OxiClean will get the blood out. Billy Mays did swear by it."

"Come on, don't be like that. We're offering to kill a Goddess, the Mother, the Creator for you."

"And I'm telling you NO!"

"I think you had better leave now," I said, "My previous blow didn't come close to hitting you, but my girlfriend wasn't angry before. If I don't kill you, she might kill me. But, nothing is stopping you from getting off this island where I can't follow you. It's a way out, and I know how much of a coward you Titans are. Tricking me, instead of facing me like a man. While the joke was on you there, I've never been happier. Sure Annabeth's death was a shock and a mournful occasion, but tell this to Kronos. I'm happy because I know that his plan will eventually backfire. He may think I chose the wrong course, but after this meeting, I'm confident I chose the right one. As long as I'm on this island, he can't touch me, and I grow stronger by the day. One day, I'll find away to leave this island, and I'll be strong enough to beat him. Olympus may have already fallen by that time, but at least his reign of terror will be over."

"Fine, I'm leaving. And don't worry, Calypso, we won't kill Gaia. No point now. While we don't really need you on our side, we don't want you to be free to join the other side as well. If you want to rot on this island for all of eternity, be my guest." With that, Atlas just sort of disappeared.

"Good bye and good riddance," Calyso commented.

"You were scary a few minutes ago. What happened to you?"

"What do you mean? You heard him. He was planning on killing Gaia. He was planning on destroying every garden in the world. Not to mention wiping out the entire human race. How could I let him do that, after I've fallen in love with so many?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You have a host of previous boyfriends. You probably didn't even flinch at the part where I would have to betray the Olympians, because you could just have me killed and run off with one of the soldiers."

"Oh for Pete's sake, Percy. It's not my fault that anyone that makes it to this island is someone I can't help but fall in love with. I still haven't figured out whether that's the Olympians playing a trick on me, or part of the magic of this island. Maybe Gaia thought a paradise would be a place where you could find true love. Whatever the reason, you're the only man for me. You are the only one who stayed after all," Calypso said, giving me a peck on the lips.

"I know, but I didn't at first. I'm like all the others. Maybe worse, I only came here because I wanted out. I'm nothing but a coward."

"But maybe it's like you said to Atlas. Maybe it was the right decision. Maybe you would have died stopping the Titans otherwise, and by coming here you've made sure you can beat the Titans without dying."

"I just said that to- Wait, did you say beat the Titans? Does that mean you are finally supporting the Olympians?"

"I could care less about them, but at least they never thought of killing Gaia. Ever since Atlas said it, no ever since Kronos thought of it, the Titans became my enemy. And the enemy of my enemy is my friend. So yes, I suppose I am supporting the Olympians. Which is why tomorrow, I start your real training."

"But I thought you didn't fight."

"I don't. But I know how the Titans fight. I was sometimes with the men on the front lines in the last war. We will also pray. Pray to Gaia to let us off this island. She may be sleeping, but maybe she can still hear us. Even if she doesn't she will eventually awaken, and when she does, we'll be there to carry out her wrath on her enemies. It's bedtime. Let's pray and then go to sleep."

"Of course," I said as we went to our room and knelt beside our beds. "Great Goddess Gaia," I prayed silently, "please give me strength to defeat the Titans. Also please provide Calypso and me an escape from your island paradise. I'm sure you never meant it this way, but it has become a prison, a tool used by both sides to keep those who they don't want to fight away. Only you can set us free."

Over by her bed, Calypso was doing a similar prayer. I got under the covers of my own bed and soon fell in to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Alright," said Calypso, "Time for some real training. You've been training with your sword and armor, but that is no good against the Titans. If you get in a sword fight, any Titan will overpower you in no time. You may be able to defeat other Half-Bloods that have joined with them, but there's no point in winning battles but losing the war. Eventually you'll have to go against deities like Typhon, Atlas, and even Kronos. As you saw with Atlas, if you barge right at them, they just have to snap their fingers, and you'll go flying out a 16th story window."

"So there's no hope?"

"I didn't say that. The Titans put a lot of dependence on Phoebe, the Titan Oracle. She has one fatal flaw; she can only see the big picture. She can't see any immediate danger any of the Titans are in. That gives us one advantage to use against the Titans, surprise attacks. We could set up traps; you know tripwires, snares, launching spears, that sort of thing."

"Sometimes I forget how behind the times you are. Traps have gotten much more sophisticated since you've been here. Instead of using tripwires, we use lasers. Spears are great, but I can't help but wonder if landmines and missiles might do more damage..."

"My father said Zeus mentioned one of those. A 'new lear miss isle' or something. Are those dangerous islands?"

"A nuclear missile. A missile is like a giant spear that explodes instead of penetrates and can travel long distances. A nuclear missile is the most powerful. Most missiles just blow things into smaller things. A nuclear missile will wipe the thing out existence, turning it into energy. It also unleashes radiation for thousands of miles, slowly killing anyone and anything in that area. The atomic bomb, which is the core of the nuclear missile, was invented during World War II, which was really a fight of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon against Hades. I believe it was under Zeus' son's command that the only two atomic bombs to ever be used against another country were used. Killed one-hundred twenty thousand Japanese instantly. I hope Zeus wasn't seriously thinking about using one again."

"Percy, the gods will do anything to win. I'm sure they would rather not harm mortals, I mean they have affairs with them often enough, but if it's between that or defeating the Titans, they will always choose to save themselves."

"I can't accept that. My father loved my mother, and still does. He wouldn't allow her or any other mortal to come to harm."

"Percy, this is war. Your father knows that you can't save everyone you love, and sometimes killing them is more merciful then letting them live under a cruel government."

"You admit the Titans are cruel?" I asked flabbergasted. Just yesterday she wouldn't say anything bad about them.

"I admit that Kronos wants revenge and is power hungry. He will do anything to be back on top. He isn't cruel by nature, but his imprisonment is enough to drive anyone mad. I might have had it bad, getting men who I couldn't help but fall in love with who would only turn their back and leave me, but he was cut into a million pieces and then thrown in a never-ending pit. I can't begin to imagine what that would be like."

"Umm..." I was beginning to get uncomfortable. If I started seeing Kronos as misunderstood and wrongfully treated, it would severely diminish his "Bad Dude" factor. That would make it harder to justify fighting him. "Weren't we here to discuss how to fight the Titans, not whether or not the Olympians will use nukes or the Titans are cruel?"

"Nukes?"

"A shortened term for nuclear missiles."

"Ah. But yes, let's get back to your teaching. As I was saying, you need to learn the art of traps and deception. The basic type of trap is a snare. I learned about these from a hero who learned them from Orion, the great hunter. They are commonly used for catching pray. Now you need to know your basic knots first, starting with the..."

* * *

The days went on and Calypso taught me many snares and other traps. She had just started teaching me camouflage and we decided to take a break for lunch, under the willow tree like always. While Calypso was in the house, I climbed up the tree, planning to surprise her by dropping down behind her when she came out. Unfortunately I saw something that surprised me, and I hit the ground with the giant _"THUD"_.

"Percy what's wrong?" Calypso asked as she came running out of the house. I pointed to a small mark carved above one of the tree branches. To most it would look like a triangle, but I knew that mark. It was a Greek delta. The mark that appears on every entrance to the Labyrinth. The mark of Daedalus.

* * *

~Aish Sheva and PQ's Nathan


	5. Of Architects, OneEyed Siblings, and

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. It was a hard chapter to get started, but once I got past the first thousand words, it finally started flowing. This is a shorter chapter than last, at just less than 2.5k words, but vastly more important. In fact this could be the most important chapter in the whole story. Some questions are answered, and many more are asked.

Now onto the subject of reviews. I thank you for all the story alerts, author alerts, and favorites. But please review the story. I write the stories partially for myself, but mainly I write them for you, the people who enjoy them. And if you give me good ideas that will fit in my storyline, I will definitely consider using them. Also don't be afraid to point out mistakes like ZoeNightshade2214 did for chapter 4. In summary, just remember the 3 "R"s: Read, Reflect, and Review

**Update: **This chapter has been slightly updated since it's original posting. Nothing major was changed, just edited a few words of dialogue to remove parts of The Last Olympian that sneaked in.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Of Architects, One-Eyed Siblings, and Goat Boys**

I scurried up the tree again, and put my hand against the Greek triangle. The symbol glowed blue, there was a rumble, and a hole appeared at the base of the tree between the roots. I climbed back down the tree, and took Calypso's hand as we entered the Labyrinth. The walls were made of mud and there were some crude etchings and strange symbols on them. "We must be in a very early part of the Labyrinth," I observed, "Pre-Greek."

"What do you mean, Percy?"

"According to Annabeth, the Labyrinth is constantly expanding, absorbing parts of cultures. Parts of the Labyrinth made in Roman times have Roman architecture. We saw this really neat painting of the Olympians when we first entered the Labyrinth."

"But Percy, wasn't the Labyrinth made by Daedalus in Ancient Greece? How is it that architecture from a time before the Labyrinth is part of it? And, also, how are we able to even get in here in the first place? Promises to Gaia are supposed to be impossible to break. But even if they weren't, they definitely wouldn't break from a contraption made by a mortal."

"I don't know. Daedalus is the only one who really knows how the Labyrinth works. Maybe Annabeth got it all wrong. Or maybe I didn't fully understand what she was saying. As for how we got here, I'm not really inclined to ask questions. Isn't this what we wanted? Now we can fight the Titans."

"And how do you expect to do that Percy? As I've explained before, the Titans are far too powerful to go to a head on war with. We need allies and information. I'm not sure the Olympians would be too inclined to help you, now that you are no longer the child of the prophecy. Furthermore isn't this a maze? How are we supposed to find our way out?"

"Last time I had Hephaestus's little robot bug to help me, and then a mortal friend of mine, Rachel."

"We don't have either of those now, though. We are probably going to end up wandering around aimlessly for an eternity."

"Finding an exit is easy. We found a found a few when we were wandering around lost. It's finding a specific exit that is hard. All we need is one that isn't on Ogygia."

"Okay, say we do find an exit and make it out safe. What then? Where will you go Percy? If your dream was true, your camp is destroyed."

"Not everyone was killed. I will find a way to get in contact with Chiron. And maybe Clarisse. I don't like her very much, but the children of Aries will be powerful allies in a war."

"The children of Aries are good, but I would much prefer the Hunters of Artemis in this war. The children or Aries like warfare to be head on. They consider gorilla warfare, which is what we'll need to defeat the Titans, cowardly. The Hunters, however, know the value of stealth. They use it all the time when they are hunting monsters."

"How do you know so much about demigods, being trapped on that island of yours?"

"A few of Aries' children have landed on my island over the years. And Artemis did visit me from time to time. I actually liked her company, particularly after someone abandoned me. It was very comforting to hear how stupid boys are."

"Hey!"

"I didn't mean you Percy, just your gender in general. Besides, I never really thought they were. It's just at those times I was heartbroken. Anyways, let's not just stand here. I still don't like the vagueness of your plan, but standing around talking will do no good. Especially since time passes differently here then it does in the above world. I don't want to emerge to a world where Titans have already conquered."

"Alright," I conceded, and we headed into the depths of the Labyrinth. The maze shifted around us, sealing off the entrance to Ogygia forever.

"How does it do that?" Calypso asked.

"You mean change?"

"Yes."

"It was explained to me that the Labyrinth took on a life of its own."

"That is... odd." Calypso seemed to be in deep thought. She didn't even notice the trap door she stepped onto until it disappeared and she started falling into an endless pit.

Luckily my ADHD battle skills kicked in and I saw her fall in slow motion. I fell to the floor, reached my arm out and grabbed her arm just in time.

"That is it!" she exclaimed, after getting out of the pit, "We are getting a guide. Percy don't you know of any way to find one?"

"It wouldn't be too hard if we had Daedalus or Ariadne's string. But by now Luke has the string, and I have no way to contact Daedalus. I used to be able to contact his hellhound with a whistle, but I used that up."

"A whistle? I found one of those when I was washing your clothes. I meant to give it to you, but I forgot." She dug around in her pockets, and pulled out the whistle and Quintus, that is to say Daedalus, had given me.

"But how?" I asked, "I used this when I fought against my brother in that arena."

"Was that before or after you met me?"

I thought for a moment. "After. What does that- Oh!" It hit me. In this timeline I hadn't used the whistle yet, so of course I would still have it. "But still, it's not like it's all that useful. What help will Mrs. O'Leary be?"

"Who?"

"The hellhound. Her name is Mrs. O'Leary."

"Who names their hellhound Mrs. O'Leary?"

"Daedalus apparently. But still, what help will she be? I mean she found me when I blew the whistle last time, but she didn't lead me anywhere. She just followed Rachel like the rest of us."

"Rachel? So your guide was a girl. Should I be jealous?" Calypso teased.

"No. A relationship wouldn't work out between us. She has some father issues and it would end up being very messy."

"While I'm glad our relationship is working out. And that you're not being totally clueless." Calypso smiled up at me. I suddenly felt the urge to kiss her, but before I could, she continued, "Might as well blow that whistle. It might not help, but it's better than nothing."

I held the ice whistle up to my lips and blew into it. Just like last time, it broke into shards of glass which melted quickly. Suddenly there was a barking as a familiar giant hellhound came bounding down the labyrinth, followed by Daedalus himself.

"Percy?" A surprised Daedalus exclaimed, "I thought you were dead! Everyone at camp did."

"Can it, Daedalus," I sniped.

"Oh, so you've discovered me."

"You could say that. I also know you gave Luke the string."

"Foolish boy. All he needed was a mortal. But yes, I did. And you don't know how much I regret it. I thought Kronos would keep his promise, but he never intended to. I had to retreat back into this prison to stay away from Minos."

"So you betrayed the camp and caused it's destruction, and your only regret is that you didn't get what you wanted?"

"Percy, there is something I have found in my much too many years. Wars are all about people getting and not getting what they want. Allies are made from people with similar interests or a common enemy. When Kronos betrayed me, he made himself my enemy. You too are against Kronos. And, it seems, you and your lady friend need my help. I ask we put all this 'betraying the camp' stuff behind us and help each other for the time being."

"Fine. But don't expect to be friends anytime soon."

"It's best not to let emotions get in the way of war, anyways."

"I'm glad we see eye to eye. Now if you don't mind, my 'lady friend,' as you so eloquently put it, would like a way out of here."

"Of course. I'd be happy to lead you out. But first, I think there is someone you would like to see."

* * *

Daedalus lead me through the winding passages of the maze to a familiar room. The room was not what it had been the first time I had entered it. The grass and vines were gone, as were the animals and an annoying dodo. And the god Pan was nowhere to be seen. But the dark cave was definitely his lair. And in the middle stood a strange sight. A satyr was crying with a Cyclops comforting him, or trying at least. As we entered the Cyclops looked up, and his face immediately turned into a smile.

"Brother!" he exclaimed and ran over to give me a hug. Grover stopped his sniveling to look up.

"Percy?" he asked, "Is that really you, or are you just a hallucination to drive me further insane?"

"Tyson, not so tight. You're suffocating me," I said as I tried unsuccessfully to get out of Tyson's iron grip. "Yes, Grover, it is really me. I'm really sorry for your loss."

"Do you even know what I've lost?" Grover yells.

"I think I have a pretty good idea. The lost god Pan was in this room. He told you to look after the forests on earth and then disappeared. And I don't know if you found out about Juniper."

"Yes, I have. Juniper and I shared a special bond. Similar to the one I formed with you when I had been kidnapped. I knew the moment her tree burned down."

"Come on, let's get out of here. We can hunt down Kronos, and you can get your revenge personally."

"I don't know if I can go on, Percy. With Pan dead, my life has no purpose. How can I save nature if there is a war going on? And how many more people must I lose to this war? Who's next? You? Tyson?"

Calypso knelt down next to my satyr friend. "Grover, was it? I know it's hard. I never personally met Pan, but he sounded like a great man from the stories I've heard about him. In a different life, we could have been great friends. I will help you preserve nature in any way we can during this hard time. As for losing friends, what do you think will happen if Kronos wins? Percy is fighting to save his friends. If you want them to survive, I suggest you help them."

"Who are you?" asks Grover, noticing Calypso for the first time.

"Right, you wouldn't know. Grover, Tyson, this is Calypso. Calypso meet my best friend Grover and my 'little,' and I use that term very lightly, brother, Tyson."

"Percy, how could you? Especially since you know how Annabeth feels about you?"

"Grover, you're not the only one who lost some one in the battle that destroyed Camp. Annabeth died too."

"Wait! What? Camp Half-Blood was destroyed? I thought it was just Juniper who was destroyed."

"What I'm puzzled about," came Daedalus' voice from behind me, "Is how you know this, Percy, and how Calypso got off her island. I was under the impression it was inescapable."

"How I know is simple. I dreamt it. But it was a true dream. I've had these dreams before, and they always show what is going on."

"Odd."

"What?"

"Sometimes demigods get these dreams, but they are fairly rare. I have never known Morpheus to favor one demigod over another. Apollo has been known to favor certain mortals and demigods over others in his prophetic visions, but those are always murky and show the future, not the present. Whatever the case, I warn you Percy, be wary of these dreams."

"Why?"

"Use your brain, Percy. Morpheus is considered a minor god. Kronos is recruiting these. And even if Morpheus hasn't defected, it's simple for a god to show a mortal or demigod a false dream. Kronos will eventually use this ability against you. And now for my next question. How in Hades did you free Calypso?"

"We were actually hoping you could tell us that. Any vow made on Ogygia can apparently only be broken by Gaia. But yet a entrance to the labyrinth appeared that let us escape. And when we entered the labyrinth, we were in a very old section, one that was pre-Greek in architecture. But according to an explanation Annabeth told me about how the labyrinth works, this is impossible."

"Yet it happened. I'm not sure I can trust you fully yet, Percy. I think I might know the answers to your questions, but I'm going to keep them to myself for now. But I will tell you this, Annabeth's theory was correct. The labyrinth does indeed absorb the architecture of the currently dominant society. So the next question you need to ask yourself is how pre-Greek architecture can be in the labyrinth. Once you answer that, you will have the answer to both your questions."

"Fine, just give me riddles."

"I find puzzles are more satisfying if you solve them on your own."

"Can we leave now?"

"Certainly. Is Camp Half-Blood fine for dropping you off?"

"It's better than nothing. Camp may be ruined, but at least I will know where I am. And I would like to see the place of Annabeth's final stand. But is it safe yet?"

"Oh yes. The Titans left ages ago. After the camp was destroyed, they had no use. Occasionally a patrol goes by, just to make sure demigods haven't taken up residence again, but the chance of one passing by while we are there is slim."

"Okay, let's go."

* * *

"Are we there yet," Tyson asked for the millionth time.

"Actually, yes," Daedalus said, pointing to the exit just ahead of us. He pressed his hand against the wall, making the ladder appear as we started climbing. Tyson went first, followed by Grover, and then Calypso. I grabbed the first ladder rung, but Daedalus stopped me.

"I wanted to tell you something away from Calypso."

"What?" I ask irritably.

"You've been growing faster than normal. I've noticed you growing several times faster than your normal rate. Some of it is due to the time difference between in here and the outside world, but that account for all of it. I don't know why, but it is like your body is making up for lost time."

"Thank you for the information. Now I'm going to join my girlfriend," I say, climbing the ladder.

"Glad I could be of help," Daedalus grumbles, climbing up after me.

* * *

**A/N:** This will be one of the few Author Notes I will have at the end of the story. I'm just wondering what you all think the secret of the labyrinth Daedalus is hiding is. I basically laid it out, so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

~PQ's Nathan


	6. Slowly I Turn

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait. For those of you who don't know, I am in the U.S. Navy, and as such, have very little time to write and fulfill my military obligations. Combine that with other project that need my attention, and a bit of a roadblock, and you have a chapter that doesn't get much work done on it. I hope that this being the longest chapter so far somewhat makes up for it.

Thanks to all my reviewers. xblackwingedangelx has pointed out a spelling inconsistency with me and Riordan. I spell the war god's name Aries instead or Ares. Both are correct spellings, and I am more used to using the former. Since it is easy enough to figure out who I am talking about, I don't think I'll change that, but thanks for the correction anyways.

Another correction I realized on my own while working this chapter is about Rachel. When I mentioned her in the previous chapter, I mentioned some things that happened in the final book, which this story supposedly ignores. However that part of the story is not essential to the plot, and as such hasn't been fixed yet. It will probably be fixed before the next chapter comes out, though. Sorry for any confusion this might have caused.

Son of Neptune has come out. It includes Gaia, using the spelling Gaea. She is portrayed in a much less flattering manner. However, according to Rick, she slumbers. Great minds think alike, I guess.

Cookies to the first person to get the reference I'm making with both the chapter title and one of Daedalus' lines.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Slowly I Turn**

We emerged from the rocks at the scene of the battle. All around us they lie dead. Not the gods whom this war was for, but half-bloods. By now the creatures had already turned to dust, and few of them probably have already regenerated. But a Half-Blood can't regenerate. They were the real losers in this war.

Grover was already over at Juniper's wilted tree. And not far from where I stood, it was there. Looking just how I remembered from my dream was the dead body of Annabeth Chase. I dropped to my knees and sobbed.

I'm not sure how long it was. It could have been ten minutes, or it could have been an eternity. Calypso finally put her hand on my shoulder. "Percy, we have to get going," she said, "We don't want to run into an enemy patrol."

I got up, knowing what I had to do, and it wasn't leave. "Calypso, we can't just leave the bodies here to rot. We have to bury them, give them a proper grave."

"Already ahead of you, Percy," said Daedalus, riding a yellow backhoe.

"Where did you get that?" I exclaimed.

"I parked it outback before I left. Chiron had been planning to do some construction, you know to improve camp defenses."

It took all day, but we got the bodies all buried, Titan and Olympian. In front of the mass grave, was a stone engraved (for some reason Daedalus brought along a blowtorch) "Here lies the bodies of those who fought valiantly in The Battle of the Labyrinth. May their souls achieve Elysium." It then listed all the known Half-Bloods in the grave. I made sure Annabeth had her own grave off to the side though. On the headstone I inscribed, "Here lies Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, good friend, and, in another lifetime, lover. May she find peace and a pile of unused blueprint paper." With the dead properly buried, I set to gather some supplies. I was able to find some weapons from the armory, some ambrosia, baked beans, crackers, and other food, and, amazingly, Annabeth's Yankees ball cap. I also found a glass prism necklace, probably from a daughter of Iris. After putting it all in a backpack, and slinging it over my shoulder, we set out. Until we heard thumping.

"What in the world is that?" Calypso wondered.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't sound good," I said. When we reached the top of Half-Blood hill, I saw what was causing the disturbance.

Marching straight for the hill was the weirdest patrol group I had ever seen. There were at least a hundred one-legged creatures jumping in step. "Monopods," Daedalus explained. Leading them was someone I thought to be dead. It was the three-bodied ranch owner, Geryon.

"How can Geryon be alive? I killed him."

"As you know, monsters never really die. Geryon would normally take an extremely long time to reconstruct, but Kronos is the master of time. What I'm really worried about is the Monopods. Monopods in ancient times lived in India, part of the Persian Empire. Today they reside in Brazil. If Kronos has recruited the monopods, who knows what other creatures he's managed to coax into joining him."

"How do we escape?" Calypso asked.

"We don't," said Daedalus said, "even if we could manage to get past them in an open field, we have no clue where to go. No, it would be best to hide, and see if we can gather any information. Now let's get back to the woods before they spot us."

* * *

"I thought you said the chance of a patrol coming by was unlikely!"

"Unlikely, but not impossible. It's not my fault one of Kronos' patrols decided to show up."

"How the hell are we supposed to get out of this mess anyways? You said something about gathering information, but we can't do that just sitting here. It's not like we can hear them from here."

"I don't feel like risking my neck by going out there. I would suggest you don't try either, unless you have a way of turning invisible!"

"Actually," I replied smiling, "I do."

* * *

I hadn't thought I'd use Annabeth's ball cap so soon, but it was the best way to spy on the patrol. As I snuck out of the woods, I saw what was taking the patrol so long. They were no longer marching, but instead setting up tents in the ruined camp. I snuck in to the biggest and most official looking one. There Geryon was talking to one of the monopods.

"Sir, are these patrols really necessary? We've done several of them, and haven't caught a single half-blood yet," The monopod was asking Geryon

"Fool! Obviously someone has been here recently. How do you explain the fresh dug graves? But if we were trying to capture a half-blood, we would be quieter about it. No, the half-bloods have left this place. Current sources seem to indicate they are scattered. The biggest group seems to be hiding in Niagara Falls. Our patrols have a much different purpose. It's to show the Olympians that we have taken the land they left their children and to remind them that there is no safe haven from the Titans."

I slowly crept back towards the woods, having heard all I needed. Grover, Tyson, and Daedalus were sitting on the ground eating some of the crackers I gathered earlier. I didn't see Calypso around.

"Where did she go," I asked taking the ball cap off. Grover gave out a startled goat cry.

"Percy, don't do that to me. You scared me half to death."

"Sorry, but where did Calypso go?"

"She went to take a bath in the river, Percy," Daedalus explained. "After she gets back, we'd better do the same. Now, did your investigation turn up any results?"

"I know where the half-bloods are. Or at least the biggest group. The only problem is Kronos knows this too."

"And if Kronos isn't attacking them, he has a reason for keeping them around."

"Exactly, we have to be careful before rejoining them. Kronos is up to something and I don't like it one bit. But I still think we should head to them, just have to be cautious."

"Where are they?"

"Niagara Falls."

"Niagara Falls? Slowly I turn…"

"What?"

"Sorry, an old comedy routine. Before your time. But they aren't actually that far away. We could get there in a day if we had a vehicle. Sadly the school bus was destroyed in the battle and all the pegesi where either killed, taken, or have flown the coop."

"Why are they at Niagara Falls though?"

"Good question."

"And?"

"Look, Percy, I don't have all the answers. I've been living in a maze for centuries. Maybe Chiron enjoys waterfalls or something. But none of that matters until we get there. What we need to focus on right now is transportation."

"I think I know someone who might be able to help."

I handed Daedalus the glass prism I found earlier and threw a drachma in one of the rainbows it created. "O, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show me Rachel Elizabeth Dare." I wanted to make sure the Goddess showed me the right Rachel. Who knew how many Rachel Dares there were out there. In the rainbow appeared a freckled red-head with green eyes. She seemed to be concentrating on a painting. "Rachel!" I said. The scene that followed was priceless.

"Percy?" asked the now paint-covered artist, "How?"

"It's called an Iris message. It's a way for demigods to talk to each other. It also works for demigod to mortal calls too."

"Where are you? Last time I saw you, you were running away from the school with some girl."

Right, I had forgotten. Rachel and I may have gotten close in the previous timeline, but in this one, she was just a girl I met twice who had the uncanny ability to see through the mist.

"This might seem weird coming from someone you hardly know, but I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"I need transportation from Long Island to Niagara Falls."

"And what makes you think I can help you?"

"I know that your father," Rachel's face darkened, "is a cooperate tycoon. And I know you don't get along with him either. But if anyone can organize transportation for two teenagers, a goat boy, a cyclops, and a swordsman, all of whom are covered in dirt, from the middle of nowhere to a national park no questions asked, it is you."

"A goat boy... cyclops? What are you- never mind. I'll do it, but at a price."

"What?"

"I'll meet you there, and you are going to tell me what the hell is going on. It seems like more and more monsters are appearing."

"Deal."

* * *

Calypso was fascinated by the horseless carriage. I had tried explaining motors to her when she saw the backhoe, but she didn't think it could have been applied to such a different application.

Daedalus, who had kept tabs on the mortal world, was much more interested in the limo's alcoholic beverages.

"So how useful is your friend?" Daedalus asked.

"She's a mortal, so she doesn't have any exceptional combat abilities. But she is pretty bright, and she has the ability to see through the mist better than most demigods. Overall she's pretty useful as long as you know how to use her."

"And she has a rich father."

"Not necessarily a good thing."

"Oh?"

"He's a land developer."

"A what?" asked Calypso.

Daedalus answered. "He buys up land, usually swamps or forests and paves concrete over them. Then he builds shopping centers or houses there."

"But he only develops what is needed, right? I mean even the Greeks needed a place to sleep at night."

"Wrong. America has enough stores and houses to sustain it's population. But people constantly want bigger houses than they need. Some families that have money even buy second or third homes. And store owners have found that people will buy more of their useless items if it's closer to home, so they are constantly building new stores just to make it more 'convenient' for their customers."

"That's terrible. And this Rachel supports that?"

"No," I said, "She's never really supported her father. And in the previous timeline she met with Pan before he died. After that, she started actively protesting development. But the thing is, I don't feel right using her money or connections too often. It's dirty money."

"That's enough talk," Daedalus commented, "It's been a long day, and we're going to need our energy tomorrow. I recommend getting as much sleep as you can on the ride over there."

* * *

"Excuse me sir," the chauffeur woke me up, "we have arrived at our destination."

"Where are we?"

"The hotel, sir. Ms. Dare is waiting for you inside."

"Right." I woke the others, and we walked into the fancy 5-star hotel.

"Percy, over here," I see the energetic red head waving to me.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about the cyclops," she says.

"Rachel, meet my brother, Tyson."

"Pretty girl," Tyson says.

"He certainly has a way with words," she comments.

"And this is my best friend, Grover Underwood, the satyr."

"Goat boy?"

"Yep."

"And who's the girl?" Rachel asks, sizing Calypso up.

"This is my girlfriend Calypso." It might have just been my imagination, but for a brief moment, I could swear I saw a look of disappointment cross Rachel's face.

"And the guy?"

"Daedalus."

"THE Daedalus?"

"If you mean the one who built the Labyrinth and invented flying, then yes."

"But how is he still alive?"

"Fake bodies," the architect himself answers.

"Wow. This is a lot to absorb."

"Why don't we talk it over in your hotel room?"

"Fine, but first things first, we need to get you guys some new clothes. They're filthy, and Percy, how high-water are those jeans?" I look down, and notice my jeans which had fit me perfectly on Calypso's island just barely reach the top of my socks.

"Umm, I'm going through a bit of growth spurt."

"It does seem to be slowing down," Daedalus commented, "It must be due to the immortal effect of Ogygia. You are approaching the age you would have been if you never set foot on that island."

"Wait, if that's true... then Nico can't be the kid of the prophecy."

"Let's face it, your time traveling stunt though the prophecy out the window."

"Immortal effects? Time traveling? Did I miss something?" Rachel asks.

"Let's just say that I've been really busy since I last saw you," I reply. I could trust the previous Rachel with my life, but I wasn't sure how far I could trust this one. We no longer had the common events that bound us.

"Listen, I know that you two have a lot of catching up to do," a nervous Calypso said, "but people are starting to stare at us. Don't you think we should go get those clothes you mentioned?"

"Right, this way." Rachel lead us to her hotel room, an Executive Suite. There a tailor was waiting to take our measurements.

"The clothes will be here in an hour, Ms. Dare," the tailor said after what seemed like hours of measuring.

"Thank you. Have a good day." She let the tailor out. "Now, you guys take turns in the shower. Calypso, you can go first. There should be plenty of bathrobes to wear until the clothes get here. Percy, we need to talk."

* * *

"So you are the Percy from an alternate future, ancient titans are taking over Manhattan, and a camp full of demigods has relocated from Long Island to Niagara Falls?"

"That about sums it up."

"And I thought explanations were supposed to clear things up." Rachel leans back into the couch. "So what do yo plan to do?"

"Look around. Hopefully I'll find Chiron. He'll know what to do."

"I got some brochure's in the lobby," Grover says, setting some pamphlets down on the coffee table. "Might find something to give us a clue. Hey look, they have an island called Goat Island!" Grover snatches up one of the pamphlets he just set down and starts to read.

The rest of us start reading the other pamphlets. In the silence, I can barely make out Daedalus humming a tune in the shower.

"Hey, look here, Goat Island for a brief time was called Iris Island. Even though it went back to it's original name, Iris may never have stopped protecting the land. The gods don't like giving up land under their protection."

"It's a place to start," Calypso pointed out.

"I don't know. If they are trying to hide, wouldn't they pick someplace less obvious?"

"They might have set up a trap at least. And if they did that, someone would be watching the trap. It's worth a look."

"So have you decided where we are going?" Daedalus asked, walking into the room in his birthday suit. I though Rachel and Calypso's eyes were going to pop out.

"Daedalus, put on a robe," I said, "I don't want my girl to have nightmares."

"Oh, it'll give her dreams, but they won't be nightmares."

"You know, it's less impressive when you make the body."

* * *

"Okay," said Rachel, reading the guide, "the tour should be somewhere near here."

"How about that big sign that says 'Tours start here'?" I asked.

"Oh." We joined the crowd. Suddenly I heard a gasp. "Percy, is that you? And what are you doing with that traitor Quintus?" The voice is coming from none other than Clarisse, daughter of Ares, already in a battle stance.

"Yes Clarisse, it is me. As for Quintus, Luke double crossed him. He can't be trusted, but I was a little short on allies at the time."

"I suppose it's good you're back. I mean, we need all the manpower we can get. But I think Chiron will want to talk to Quintus before we allow him in our camp."

"What are you doing here anyways?" I ask Clarisse, "Shouldn't you be with the others?"

"I'm keeping a lookout. Making sure no monsters find us. And if you found us, the Titans probably know our location."

"They do. I got it from them."

"Shit. At least I know Neda's protection is working. Anyways, we'd better get you, goat boy, and him," she pointed at Tyson, "to the base camp. Quintus will have to stay here until Chiron has cleared him. As for your other two companions, I don't believe we've met."

"The red-head is Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She's a mortal, but she can see through the mist. Chiron knows of her. The other is... while it's complicated. I have to discuss it with Chiron before I tell anyone, but I can guarantee she's on our side. Or at least not on theirs."

"Chiron will have to clear them too."

"I'm not going anywhere until he does."

"Fine." Clarisse pulled a walkee talkee out. "Red Child, to base, come in base."

"This is base, go ahead Red Child," I hear Chiron's voice on the other side.

"I have located Fish, Shepard, and One-eyes. They have three packages with them. Requesting the presence of the Stallion. Over."

"Understood. Stallion in route. Base Out."

"Fish?" I asked.

"Unencrypted signals. We have to talk in code in case the Titans are listening in."

"Why don't you just use Iris messages?"

"Other than the difficult of getting rainbows on demand? Just look at the bottom of the waterfalls. There are so many rainbows here that it causes an overload on Iris' powers. Iris messages have a bad tendency to get lost. Duh."

"Percy," a Chiron said, pulling up in his wheelchair, "Good to see you're alive. Who are your two companions? And why is he with you?" Chiron narrowed his eyes at Daedalus/Quintus.

"Quintus isn't who he seems. But that's his story to tell. The lady to my left is Rachel Elizabeth Dare. I believe I've told you about her."

"The mortal that can see through the mist. Could be useful."

"And the other gorgeous lady to my right is Calypso."

"Percy, please tell me you didn't spend time on her island."

"I did, what's the big deal?"

"She's an enchantress. Any man who falls on her island is put under her spell. The gods had to intervene for Odysseus to escape."

"Odysseus' journey was far exaggerated. And I guarantee you that I did not put Percy under a spell," Calypso retorted.

"So you and Percy are not romantically involved?"

"What we do is none of your business old man. But yes, we are involved."

"Release him this instant!"

"He's not under a spell!"

"Besides, you are a Titan!"

"I WAS a Titan. People change!"

"Cool it," I injected. "Chiron, Calypso is my girlfriend. Deal with it. If you find evidence that I am under a spell or that she is spying for the Titans, than you can smite her. But you won't find any such evidence. The Titans are trying to kill someone very dear to her, so she has agreed to help us."

"Who?"

"Gaia," Calypso said, "the great mother."

"Percy, Gaia is not a friend of the Olympians or the demigods. She loves her children. She would support the Titans over the Olympians any day."

"I suppose that changed after they decided to kill her."

"What do you mean?"

"She's the one who provided Calypso a way off the island."

"But she's asleep!"

"Umm, that's not exactly true," Daedalus mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Chiron asked.

"She always was a bit of a sleep walker. When I first built the labyrinth-"

"Wait, built the labyrinth?"

"Oh yeah. I'm Daedalus. Surprise! Anyways, when I first built the labyrinth, I built it out of the ground around it. But it was just a mortals creation, it wasn't alive. At least not until it was. Gaia possessed it, as she does all things underground. But it started moving. Changing, expanding. Parts of long gone civilizations that Gaia had reclaimed started popping up. It scared the hell out of me at first. It was Gaia's doing, but she was doing it unconsciously. Like tossing and turning in bed. But lately, it's been more organized. Like creating an entrance for Percy here when he needed it. She's waking up."

"That's even worse. She's an unknown factor. Is she friend or foe? Calypso, if Gaia opposed us, what would you do?"

"Join her of course."

"And Percy?"

"I... I don't know. Poseidon is my father, and all my friends are on their side. But Calypso is my life now. It's not an easy decision to make."

"It may be a decision you have to make someday soon. I hope not. I really do not want to fight one of the strongest immortals of all time. And definitely not while fighting the Titans as well. Anyways, I see no reason not to show you to camp. All though I must insist that Quintus, or rather Daedalus, and Calypso be put under surveillance. I don't trust either of them. I see no reason for the same to apply to Rachel though. The Titans would never trust a mortal, so I highly doubt she's working for them as a spy. I believe we have a lot to discuss, Percy."

"More than you know."

* * *

"We set up base in Aeolus' cave, named after the Greek god of winds. It is better known simply as The Cave of Winds. It was supposedly obliterated in 1954, but Aeolus had protected it, and it has just been hidden from view by the Mist," Chiron explained.

"It is behind Bridal Veil Falls, the western counterpart to Nedas' Waterfall in Ancient Greece. Supposedly Neda the Nymph hid Zeus from Kronos. Where better to hide then a place that is protected by two Olympians and Nymph who has already shown the ability to hide things from Kronos?"

At the base swords were swinging and arrows flying. It was like someone took Camp Half-Blood and made it's sole purpose the art of combat.

"So this all started because of Janus?"

"Yes."

"Janus shouldn't have the power to redo decisions already made. Only Kronos could do that. And if Kronos was involved, he knows of it even in this timeline."

"But doesn't he think I'm trapped on the island?"

"Yes. We do have an advantage over him now. But the question is whether or not it will be enough to win the war."

"What war? Isn't it over? The camp is destroyed. Many of our best fighters lay dead."

"Indeed the camp is destroyed. Also the Titans are marching on Mount Olympus. It's only a matter of time until they get there, and I'm not sure the gods can stand a full scale assault. But it's not helpless. I'm sure that even with your scattered schooling you've learned of the American Revolution."

"I did. George Washington crossing the Delaware and all that."

"Ah," said Chiron, putting on his full Mr. Brunner mode, "There is much more to the revolution then that. The British at the time were the most powerful army in the world. But they lost because the Americans applied the tactics of gorilla warfare. They would attack the British and then disappear into the surroundings. We must apply similar tactics."

"But will that even work? To the British, all the colonists looked the same, and for obvious reasons they couldn't slaughter a whole town just to kill one unknown attacker. But the Titans can smell us. And they don't really care about civilian casualties."

"That's true. But in this day and age, there are ways to destroy an attacker by not being near enough for them to smell you. For example, unless you come into the camp the way I showed you, you would have set off explosives. It's not enough to stop a Titan, but it would buy us enough time to escape. If it's some of their Half-Blood soldiers or monsters though, it would wipe them out."

"But how does that help? They know you're here, and they're not attacking. It may be because of the defenses, or it may be for other reasons. But the defenses aren't wiping out any of their forces."

"True. That was just an example. The Aries kids have gotten their hands on a rocket launcher recently. They handed it over to the children of Hephaestus to modify. After they are done, we're going to do some field tests. If all goes well, we'll finally have a portable weapon we can fight with to strike at a distance. The children of Hephaestus have also been trying to make an army of automatons, but given our limited resources... I'm sure they'll be happy if Daedalus helps them."

"Doesn't Hephaestus have several already made he could use to help us? I remember some really dangerous ones in the junkyard that... you know..."

"The Olympians have decided that our plan is doomed to fail. They think the best course of action is to defend Olympus from the coming onslaught and take out the army there. Hephaestus has dedicated his automatons to that task."

"And what do you think?"

"Olympus is toast. Defending it against an army of that size is pointless. We must destroy or distract the Titan army before they ever get to New York city."

"And we are supposed to do that with an incomplete rocket launcher and an imaginary army of automatons?"

"No Percy. We are supposed to do it with the courage and determination displayed in every ancient epic. The spirit of Greece is not just about art and architecture. It's not just about philosophy. It's about will and determination. It's about surviving, no matter what the odds. Look at the Trojan War. The battle looked impossible until a crazy plan involving a wooden horse was conceived. We don't have our Trojan Horse yet, but I believe it is out there, just waiting to be thought of. The only question remaining is, will you join us?"


	7. When Boy Meets Man

**A/N: **It's a bit short, but I couldn't really add anything more, and it ends at the best stopping point for this chapter. Only two chapters left (maybe three), the ending is in sight.

Sorry once again for the long wait. My life has been crazy lately. Job related stresses and then a family member dieing. Add in to that massive indecision about where this story was headed, and you have a stalled story.

The next chapter or two will be an epic war scene. Hopefully I can write action, never really tried. The final chapter will be an epilogue/conclusion of sorts.

I apologize in advance for the lack of Calypso in this chapter. I guarantee she will be in these upcoming chapters.

Now about the "Slowly I Turn" thing from the last chapter. It comes from an old comedy skit called Niagra Falls. It was done by The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, and many other comedy groups of the time. You can find it on YouTube. Nobody got the reference though, so I guess I get the cookies. *nom nom nom*

Enjoy the story.

* * *

"Your defense is only as good as your weakest point," I told the child of Aries as I looked down at her, "You need to be aware of your surroundings, including the ground."

"I would have won if you hadn't cheated," the girl looked like she wanted to kill me.

"What, do you think the Titans will play fair? This is war, not a game of capture the flag. But there is more to it than being aware your opponent will fight dirty. You need to fight dirty yourself. There is a time for pride and honor. Being outnumbered and outgunned isn't one of those times."

"Couldn't you have told me this before I fell into your pit trap?"

"Experience is the best learning aide," I said as I helped the dirt covered girl out of the hole. Training half-bloods is never an easy task. Training them for war is one of the hardest tasks I'd faced. I normally wouldn't have to train campers unless I decided to become a staff member myself, but most of the staff had died at the Battle of the Labyrinth, and I was one of the few senior campers still alive and not involved in other tasks.

"Let's try it again," I stated. We took our stances. It was only minutes until I had my sword against her throat. "You need to be aware of your surroundings yes, but not at the cost of paying attention to your attacker. You need to rely on your instincts and let it become second nature."

"He speaks the truth," I heard a familiar voice coming from behind me. I turned.

"Nico?" They person in front of me only slightly resembled the boy I left behind at Triple G Ranch. He had more scars, more stress lines on his face, and his eyes had a dead look to them. He was no longer a boy, but a war-hardened soldier.

"Percy. It's good to know you didn't die. I guess this means once again the prophecy is most likely referring to you. I should have guessed. It always goes back to that."

"I don't care about the stupid prophecy anymore. The Titans killed my friends. They destroyed my home away from home. They are going down, prophecy or no prophecy."

"Glad to hear it. I feel the same way. I need to see Chiron."

"He's out watching for any sign of the Titans right now. How did you know where we were?"

"Nobody's told you? I ran into the campers when they were in the process of relocating. I helped them set up base here, and then I left again. I stop by from time to time. I never stay here, and I never will. I'm better off fighting by myself. But I have some information I think the centaur should have. Come to think of it, you should know it too. It concerns your father too, after all."

* * *

"So what news do your bring us, Nico?" Chiron asked. We sat around the table Chiron usually used for war councils.

"As you know, after the last time I spoke, I planned on going to the underworld and help Hades fortify the defenses."

Chiron nodded.

"Unfortunately our defenses weren't enough. We had some of the greatest heroes throughout history fighting for us alongside the largest army of harpies, minotaurs, and other beasts loyal to my father. It was not enough though. An army led by Krios and Kronos himself vanquished them. The underworld has fallen."

Chiron rubbed his temples. "This is terrible news indeed. Although Kronos won't be able to bring back his fallen demigod followers, any monster he controls will be able to rise immediately. What of your father?"

"He has retreated to Olympus for now. Much to his disdain. He never did get along very well with the others."

"You said this news also concerned my father?" I inquired.

"We received a message during the assault from Poseidon. His ocean fortress was receiving a similar assault from the forces of Oceanus. I do not know the fate of it, but we must assume the worst. The Titans are most likely in control of both the Underworld and the Ocean."

"Shit," I mumbled

"That about sums it up."

"We can't change to past," Chiron interjected, "but we can learn from it and twist it to our advantage."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"Traditional defenses are useless against the Titans."

"We already knew that."

"Also we know that Krios and Oceanus won't be at the assault on Olympus. They are too busy ruling over there new kingdoms. Kronos is spreading his forces. That makes him weaker."

"But not weak enough, damn it! It's not like I can just bathe in the River Styx, become next to immortal like Achilles, and then just mow down Titan after Titan. We need something powerful. Something that could not just only stop the Titans, but utterly destroy them."

"Percy, that's impossible. Well, at least it is unless you're hiding an infinite improbability drive. Most we can hope to do is trap them in a mortal container, like how Kronos is hiding in Luke. If we imprison the mortal container, the Titan get imprisoned as well. But if that mortal container dies, the Titan gets free."

"Does that mortal container have to be a human?" Nico asked.

"Not really. Any living thing will do. It could be an animal like an antelope or even a flower. When the Olypians were more in tune with the human world, they would posses animals all the time. Zeus had a particular fondness of it."

"In the myths Zeus wasn't trapped in the animal until it died, though."

"They can create an anchor to bring their soul back out of the container. However, if that anchor were to be destroyed, they would be trapped."

Nico thought for a second. "Can they possess only one vessel at a time?"

"Not necessarily. If the vessel has identical DNA to another mortal container, the immortal, be it Titan or Olympian, would possess all vessels at once. Such is the case with identical twins."

"And would they be freed is only one of the twins was killed?"

"No. All the containers would have to be destroyed."

"I have an idea. I have to check on it, but it may just work. Meanwhile, I need you to either find a way to trick or to force a Titan to posses any arbitrary mortal object."

* * *

"Why don't we sign a treaty saying they have to possess an object of our choice?" Connor Stoll asked.

"Don't be daft," his brother replied, "In order for them to sign a treaty with us, especially one with that requirement, they would have to be losing the war."

"Would both of you just shut up?" Clarisse snapped, "It's obvious we can't force someone that powerful. We will have to trick them. Pity we can't kill them."

"Clarisse, we all lost loved ones in the war. There is no reason to take it out on the brothers," Chiron injected.

"Lost a loved one? Chris didn't die in battle! He was in no condition to fight. They murdered him in cold blood. They are going to pay dearly."

Travis and Connor didn't hear any of this, as they were busy whispering to each other. I could only hear parts of the conversation.

"... weapon ..."

"... wouldn't work … we could ..."

"but what if ..."

"... over hear ..."

"We got a plan," announce Travis.

"Really?" asked Chiron, "What?"

"That's the rub," replied Connor, "We can't tell you the plan without ruining the plan."

"So we are just supposed to trust you goof offs?" Clarisse asked pointedly.

"You said we had to trick the Titans," Travis said.

"And tricking is what we do best," Connor finished.

"They do have a point," I reasoned.

"It might be best to let them handle this," Chiron agreed.

"So what you're saying is the key to defeating the Titans comes down to a practical joke?"

"That is indeed what we're saying," Travis replied.

"Great."

"But don't worry," Connor continued, "You won't be left out of the fun."

"We need you to still fight to protect Olympus."

"That can be arranged," Chiron said, "The rocket launcher is completed as well as a beta of the automaton."

"How much damage can the launcher do?" I asked. A launcher could be useful, but if it could only wipe out one monster at a time, I would do much better with my sword.

"It uses ambrosia for the explosive. It can easily wipe out ten or so monsters if they are concentrated enough. And considering the small amount of space between the buildings in Manhattan, it will be a piece of cake to wipe that amount out." Clarisse seemed really proud of the weapon her siblings were responsible for.

"What about civilian casualties?" I asked.

Chiron replied this time. "The Titans march has left a wave of destruction. The Mist is causing mortals to see it as the result of a hurricane headed right for New York. There has been a wide scale evacuation of all citizens from the city."

"Then all we need is duplicate automatons."

"The sons of Hermes are gathering the resources as we speak," Travis replied.

"Percy, how is your combat training going?"

"They won't die fighting one-on-one with monsters or maybe even demigods. Fighting groups of either will be a challenge though. And I wouldn't trust them against a Titan."

"Percy, I know you're hot headed, but you wouldn't survive an encounter with a Titan either." It was Clarisse.

"Maybe not, but I could hold my own for at least a bit. Remember, I beat your father years ago."

"Out of a stroke of luck, and he wasn't even fighting seriously."

"If there is no other further items of business," Chiron injected, breaking up the verbal sparring match, "I call this meeting ajourned. Connor, Travis, go do what you need to in order to set your plan in action. Hopefully Nico comes back with whatever he has cooked up."


End file.
